It looks like you found a near perfect donor. There is no telling how many small parts you will end up using off that boat.

Table rocker- do u have any pics of ur boat? A 96 SD LT-1 is a rare bird,,,, My dad has a 93 205 he bought new, he chose to go the cheap route ( he claims they offered the LT-1 that year I thought it was 94) instead of the Lt-1.....id would love to see a pic of it.

Table rocker- do u have any pics of ur boat? A 96 SD LT-1 is a rare bird,,,, My dad has a 93 205 he bought new, he chose to go the cheap route ( he claims they offered the LT-1 that year I thought it was 94) instead of the Lt-1.....id would love to see a pic of it.

I have to say, A project boat, even for a mechanically inclined person is going to present some major challenges. I'll be the first to admit the thought that I was in over my head crossed my mind on a few occasions.

With a little luck, good and bad, I am exactly where I hoped to be at this point. After retrieving the holestar project from Indiana, things definitely started to fall into place. The availability of Teamtalk, and CCFan has been a key component of getting help when I needed it. Without the interweb and an old skibuddy who owns a shop in FL I still would be trying to sort out a bunch of small details that contribute to major headaches when not addressed.

Took entirely too long removing the old cutless bearing and squeezing in a fancy plastic one.

Scroll up to a previous post and look at how nicely that strut cleaned up after I removed it and paid a visit to the media blaster.

Cleaned up the shaft log fittings, bought some new rubber from Skidim and packed some new seals in it.

My ski buddy stopped by last week was apologizing for not being much help I had an idea for a project for him. I was thrilled to see how nicely it cleaned up.

Meanwhile I continued to clean things up and bolt them back in.

I was able to figure my shaft alignment problem, and get the couplers lined up perfectly.

Scrubbed and installed the exhaust, fuel line and hooked up transmission and throttle cables.

Mrs. Chief started believing and got on board with a nice purchase for herself.

Younger brother found me a nice bargain on an OEM cover. You wouldn't believe the improvement on curb appeal with a sleek new black jacket to keep the elements out.

Thankful That Jonnyski2 Left me with a charged battery from the Holestar.

Even the depth meter seems to be working.

Well we got power, Whats next?

Seems simple a few key flips to see if the fuel pump whirrs... Nothing... oh yeah try to remember what I did with the safety lanyard... Screw it I got a spare boat, easy fix. Nope, not that easy nothing is happening. Lets think a bit.... Oh yeah, plug the wires into the backside of the lanyard switch you unplugged months ago. AHH, satisfaction. fuel pump is whirring, gauges are buzzing lets make a fake a lake and crank on it.

The engine fired right away and after after messing with the throttle linkage a bit, it idled perfectly.

Spent most of Friday messing with this dang thing and trying to figure out the right combination of linkage plate angles and installation.

Not sure how long I just cycled this thing back and forth to figure out how it is supposed to work.

Had about an hour left of daylight and decided, lets get this baby wet. Lake is only 15 minutes away. What could go wrong?

Backed it in fired it up and the shifter linkage wasn't right... Screw it I want to drive it. Unhooked the linkage put Mrs Chief at the helm while I manually shifted it and we take it for a lap around the bay. What a major relief that was, I was so afraid I would have a bent or misaligned shaft, a bad prop or some drivetrain vibration to troubleshoot. That fear was put to rest quickly. I was impressed and relieved the boat drove as nicely as my Buddy's 197 TT I've been driving and skiing behind. It did get pretty interesting trying to dock it in the dark with the Mrs. at the wheel receiving throttle instructions from me (The Shifter).

Spent Saturday morning figuring out the transmission linkage and bolting in some of the interior pieces. Took it out for a shakedown run and it was flawless. Got back to the dock sent out some texts to find a driver and took a nice afternoon nap in it.

What a great feeling after 6 months work to get this boat in the water, get a wakeboard pull, and then give the guy who's been the catalyst for me getting back into waterskiing a pull behind my boat.

Sunday it was raining and a bit windy, but still 75 degrees. The running boat allure was too strong to keep us away, so we took a 10 mile trip up the lake. I had the wife drive and coached her on driving straight lines, avoiding swamping fishing boats and holding a speed since the perfect pass is inop right now. I hung the rope out and practiced a couple skier pickups and takeoffs. I then got the board on and had her give me a pull. The Mrs. did an excellent job her first time at the wheel of our boat. She was a farm girl and can operate a tractor so she is basically just recalling muscle memory right?

I still have alot of work, I could go all WV hillbilly and run it like it is, But I had to pull it out and bring it home so I can work on getting it cleaned up and ready to leave in the lake for the summer. She will be in good company this summer.